The Next Generation (Season 1)

[hlndncr]

Also, I think Majel Barrett is a fantastic actress and plays a great role in TNG/DS9 in the form of Lwaxana Troi. I also like the opposition she presents in the Betazoid mindset, in opposition to, for example, the Vulcans. There's an episode in which she stars (you might remember it from your first watching 20 years ago) in which she acts as an intermediary with another telepathic race... the entire episode is so sad and poignant, it adds yet another dimension to her character. Very well done, I thought, but you're a few seasons off rewatching it IIRC.

I don't remember that one, but I'll look forward to it.

[hlndncr]

I forgot to point out that in Haven their leader told Captain Picard that a ship had "bypassed their stargate." So they must have a space gate, right? Looks like the Ancients may have been to Haven.

[hlndncr]

The thing about a lot of these early episodes is that to me they have a lot of potential without much substance. Take The Big Goodbye for example. It's sole purpose seems to be to show us how cool the hollodeck can be. But there's really not much of a story there. So much of the dialog repeats information and nothing much happens. It's all set up for later, better episodes.

[hlndncr]

Watching Datalore, I didn't realize Lore was introduced so early on in the series. I thought this was a well done episode. It was good to get some of Data's backstory. And for once the storyline has some real substance. There's good pacing and tension throughout. It does wrap up rather quickly and neatly at the end, but that's pretty standard for TV of this era.

[The Urban Spaceman]

The thing about a lot of these early episodes is that to me they have a lot of potential without much substance. Take The Big Goodbye for example. It's sole purpose seems to be to show us how cool the hollodeck can be. But there's really not much of a story there. So much of the dialog repeats information and nothing much happens. It's all set up for later, better episodes.

Yeah, I got the feeling that the writers were really testing the waters with this one. Holodeck technology is pretty new to the crew as well... I thought it was funny to see the crew trying to fit in, and also patronising the holodeck characters with silly "oh yes, how wonderful, very realistic!" comments.

I did find the future Moriarty episodes much better, though. You should definitely watch out for those, even if you're not a Sherlock Holmes fan.

Watching Datalore, I didn't realize Lore was introduced so early on in the series. I thought this was a well done episode. It was good to get some of Data's backstory. And for once the storyline has some real substance. There's good pacing and tension throughout. It does wrap up rather quickly and neatly at the end, but that's pretty standard for TV of this era.

I thought this was a brilliant episode, though I have to wonder about the crystal entity's existence in the culture of Data's homeworld. From what I understood, it attacked quickly and left no survivors, yet we saw childrens' drawings of it more than once. How did they manage to actually get it drawn? Or was I understanding it wrong, and had the colonists been 'hiding' in their bunker for some time before Lore betrayed them?

[hlndncr]

I thought this was a brilliant episode, though I have to wonder about the crystal entity's existence in the culture of Data's homeworld. From what I understood, it attacked quickly and left no survivors, yet we saw childrens' drawings of it more than once. How did they manage to actually get it drawn? Or was I understanding it wrong, and had the colonists been 'hiding' in their bunker for some time before Lore betrayed them?

I got the impression they were hiding in the bunker after Lore betrayed them. They took Lore apart and when they realized the Crystal would eventually get them they gave Data their memories and put him out to be found.

What I don't understand is that if all this happened 26 years ago, why had no one investigated the planet or discovered any of this before?

[The Urban Spaceman]

It is indeed a mystery.

And another mystery; in an episode I rewatched earlier today, one of the crew takes a piece of paper that was created off the holodeck. But we all know (in hindsight, of course) that nothing created on the holodeck can be taken from it. Even the paper created there is holographic.

Unfortunately, TNG is filled with many such idiosyncrasies that, at the time, wouldn't have raised an eyebrow, but now that the laws of holographic technology have been more firmly established in DS9 and VOY, we know that many of these TNG events should not have been able to happen in the first place.

[Morbo]

Since I can't create new threads, I'll post it in here since it's about the same thing basically.

Fathom Events is hosting a TNG night at your local movie theater to celebrate the release of the TNG Blu-Ray sets. Showing 2 episodes back to back.

Details here: http://www.startrek.com/article/tng-...eaters-july-23

[hlndncr]

Angel One was a pretty forgetable episode. I think they're getting better at storytelling in general, but this one just didn't hold much appeal for me.

I did notice one mistake. When Riker is being seduced by the leader lady she reaches out to set her glass down. You can see a hand in the bottom right of the screen reach out and take the glass away. For a second there I thought maybe they had an audiance and that's just the way they did it on that planet. I was wondering why Riker didn't say anything. Then I realized they were supposed to be alone and it was just a production goof.

[The Urban Spaceman]

Having just finished a rewatch of Season 1, I started on a few season 2 eps today. Two of the best episodes to date occur consecutively: The Outrageous Okona, which was light-hearted fun, and Loud as a Whisper, which I wasn't all that keen on the first 2 times around, but now it's sorta grown on me and I can really appreciate it. The idea behind Riva and the Chorus was a very good and quite a unique one.

[hlndncr]

11001001 was a pretty good ep. I thought they utilized the holodeck much better in this one. The Binars were an interesting race. There was a bit of a mystery and some tension. The character beats were all enjoyable; we learn a little something fun about most of the main cast in how they spend their down time. I especially liked the part about the blind man teaching an android how to paint.

[The Urban Spaceman]

Yeah I liked that one too, it was interesting to watch the Bynars. Most Trek aliens are humanoid (or insanely powerful 'other' beings) but it was nice to see a less 'human' looking humanoid, like the Bynars. Makes a nice change to see a life-form that is bipedal and yet quite obviously more different to humans than Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons etc who are all roughly the same build as humans, and of course the many human-like aliens such as the inhabitants of Angel One and others.

[hlndncr]

Yeah I liked that one too, it was interesting to watch the Bynars. Most Trek aliens are humanoid (or insanely powerful 'other' beings) but it was nice to see a less 'human' looking humanoid, like the Bynars. Makes a nice change to see a life-form that is bipedal and yet quite obviously more different to humans than Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons etc who are all roughly the same build as humans, and of course the many human-like aliens such as the inhabitants of Angel One and others.

I completely agree with this.

[hlndncr]

I don't have much of anything to say about Too Short a Season. It was alright, but it just didn't do much for me. I suppose the point was the problems created for yourself and others when you play fast and loose with the Prime Directive. I'm not sure that's a lesson anyone in the Trek verse ever fully learned.

[hlndncr]

OK, that little red head girl from When the Bough Breaks was adorable! I would keep her.

I thought Wesley should have done more than stage a hunger strike. He mentioned that he had almost figured out their computer, but I just think he should have been working more actively to contact the Enterprise or bring down the shield. I don't think the Aldeians could have stopped him because they clearly didn't understand their own technology.

[The Urban Spaceman]

Yeah I was expecting him to enact some sort of daring rescue plan when he woke Katie or whatever in the middle of the night. Instead... pacifistic resistance. Bit of a let down.

[hlndncr]

"Ugly bags of mostly water." I love that description! So funny.

I enjoyed the discovery of a totally different form of life in Home Soil, but I was a little surprised it took them so long to figure it out and accept the idea that there might be such thing as a non-carbon based life form. After all, scientists have been speculating about silicon based life for decades already.

I also found the story itself a bit of a let down. I just wish there had been more to it. The plot was very simplistic. It would have been more interesting if the scientists hadn't just been ignorant, but were trying to cover things up or had some other nefarious or less than ethical motive for going forward with the terraforming.

[hlndncr]

I think Coming of Age was the most complex plot we've seen yet. There was an A, B, and C story interwoven. The C story was minor but it did inform and support the other two. I liked getting a glimpse into the Academy entrance. Maybe I'm crazy, but I always wanted to see a Star Trek based on the Academy.

[rushy]

Datalore was one of my favourite TNG episodes, due to Lore being in it(I don't understand why there isn't a "Data Fan Collection" yet, he has the best episodes.). I think Brent Spiner is one of my favourite actors of all time and he handled Lore's evil, yet humorous personality completely. There is one mystery though: Lore provided the colony to the Crystalline Entity. But that happened over three decades ago, by that time the Crystalline Entity would've been god knows where yet Lore somehow managed to make contact with it and get it to come to Enterprise-D within a few hours after not having communicated with it for 28 years.

[hlndncr]

Datalore was one of my favourite TNG episodes, due to Lore being in it(I don't understand why there isn't a "Data Fan Collection" yet, he has the best episodes.). I think Brent Spiner is one of my favourite actors of all time and he handled Lore's evil, yet humorous personality completely. There is one mystery though: Lore provided the colony to the Crystalline Entity. But that happened over three decades ago, by that time the Crystalline Entity would've been god knows where yet Lore somehow managed to make contact with it and get it to come to Enterprise-D within a few hours after not having communicated with it for 28 years.

Good point. I think all the time factors on that episode were off. I try to let it roll off of me. Maybe Lore and the Crystal were psychicly linked.